British teenagers arrested for suspicious terror activity

Two teenagers from northern England have been arrested on suspicion of preparing for acts of terrorism, British police said on Sunday.

A 14-year-old boy from Blackburn and a 16-year-old girl from Manchester were arrested on Thursday and Friday respectively as part of an ongoing investigation and have both been bailed until May 28, Greater Manchester Police said in a statement.

The boy was arrested on “suspicion of preparing for an act of terrorism” following the examination of several electronic devices, police said, while the girl was arrested “on suspicion of engaging in conduct in preparation for acts of terrorism”.

Police said the arrests were not linked to the case of nine British nationals from nearby Rochdale, who were detained by Turkish security forces earlier this week as they apparently attempted to enter Syria.

Last year Britain raised its terrorism alert to the second-highest level and has warned of the threat posed by radicalized Britons returning from fighting in Syria and Iraq. Security services estimate some 600 Britons have gone to join militant groups there, with about half of them thought to have returned.

West Midlands police on Sunday said they had been given more time to question six people arrested at the southern English port of Dover on Friday on suspicion of terrorism offences related to the ongoing conflict in Syria.